Tyler’s eyes widened, then filled with tears as Tommy seated the ring on his finger. Stunned into silence, he stared at it for a long moment. Then he looked at Tommy and flung himself off the couch onto the other man, tumbling them both to the carpet.
“Yes!” Tyler gasped, kissing him. “Absolutely, oh, love, absolutely! Forever and ever, I promise. I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy.”
He looked up at him from the floor, where Tyler straddled him. “I bought two,” he sheepishly said.
Tyler looked at where the box had fallen on the floor, picked it up, and removed the other band. He took Tommy’s hand and slipped the ring onto his finger. “I swear to you, I will love you with all my heart and soul, forever.” He leaned forward and kissed him, deeply, passionately.
Tommy rolled on top of Tyler. “Do you think a classy guy like you can put up with an uncouth Cracker like me?”
Tyler smiled and brushed the hair out of Tommy’s eyes. “You are anything but uncouth, my love. I love you so much it hurts when you’re not with me.”
“Can we talk about this, though?”
“What?”
Tommy blushed again. “The money?”
Tyler grinned. “I will thoroughly enjoy spoiling you rotten.”
“That’s what I mean.” Deep breath. “I want to take care of you. I know you want to quit teaching. I want you to be able to stay home and write, and I can take care of the other stuff. I’m going to be making decent money in another year or so.”
Tyler studied him. “This means a lot to you, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah. It does. My job is to take care of you like that.”
“Well, can I buy us a house?”
“But it would be your house.”
Tyler sighed, exasperated. “And if you bought it, it would be your house.”
“No! It’d be our house.”
Tyler stared at him until Tommy finally realized his point. “Okay. Fine. We can use your money for stuff like that, big ticket things. We’ll put the rest into savings and retirement. Bob can help us with that. We’ll use my money for running things and all the other stuff.” He kissed Tyler. “Ask Bob to draw up paperwork to protect you.”
“Why is this so important to you?”
Robert’s comment rolled through his memory. “It just is. You’re not a meal ticket. I don’t want people thinking you are.”
“You are my heart and soul. I couldn’t give a rat’s arse what others think. I want us to enjoy this money. It is yours as much as mine, just as what you make is mine just as much as it is yours. Right?” He pulled Tommy closer. “I want you to design our new home. I want you to start your own business. I want us to be partners in this. Everyone says you would be amazing if you became a developer. Let’s do it!”
“What?”
“Partners in love, life, and business. Buy your boss out and take over. Maggie and Kenny can help you. They’ll stay on, you know they will.”
“You don’t know anything about developing.”
“You do. I trust you.”
“I want Bob to talk to you and get your head on straight. I don’t want you losing your shirt.”
Tyler grinned. “You would complain if I lost my shirt?”
Tommy started to reply, then groaned. “You know what I mean.”
Tyler grabbed Tommy’s shirt and pulled him down for another kiss. “Are you sure about that, love?”
Tommy sat up and stripped his shirt off. “All right, we can talk about that later.”
“See? I’m not complaining about a lost shirt.” His fingers brushed across Tommy’s nipples, making him moan.
“Then get your fucking shirt off. And those pants while you’re at it. Jesus, you make me so fucking horny I can’t see straight.”
Tyler looked at him and laughed. Tommy realized what he’d said and joined him laughing. “You sure you want to spend your life with me?”
Tyler sat up. “I wouldn’t want to spend my life any other way. Now let’s go to bed so you can properly fuck me.”
Tommy stood, pulled Tyler to his feet, and led him to their bedroom. The men quickly shed what little was left of their clothes and fell onto the bed, Tommy on the bottom.
“I want a pre-dinner snack, sugar. Turn around.” Tyler complied, straddling Tom’s face as he went down on him. Both men moaned around each other’s cocks as they furiously sucked and licked each other, trying to bring the other over first. Over the past few months it’d become an unofficial game between them when they settled into this position.
Thomas tried to hold back, sensed Tyler making ground, felt his own release closing in. He played dirty and reached between Tyler’s legs, where he pressed a finger against Tyler’s rim and wiggled it.
Tyler groaned around Tommy’s cock as his own exploded. Tyler didn’t stop. He grabbed Tommy’s sac, gently squeezing as he tugged on it.
That finished him. He bucked his hips against Tyler’s face as he came, and in a few minutes the men were lying side by side, breathless, on the bed.
Tyler turned around and propped himself on his elbow. “You cheated, love.” He leaned in for a long, deep kiss.
Tommy grinned. “Yeah? Well, what the hell was that you did?”
“That, my pet, was payback.” He snuggled against Tom’s side and lifted his left hand. Tommy held up his as they stared at the matching bands.
“Forever, Ty. I swear.” He lifted his head and looked into his lover’s eyes. “I know it sucks we can’t really get married, but you’re my husband. That’s what you feel like to me. As far as I’m concerned, that’s who you are regardless of what the fucking law says.”
Tyler blinked away his tears as he nodded. “I’ve been married twice, pet. To be quite honest, this feels more real than either of those times.” He rolled on top of Tommy. “You are more a spouse to me than either of those women ever were in name or heart.”
Tommy started to say something when his stomach growled. Tyler laughed. “How about you help me with dinner? Then we can start our honeymoon after we eat.”
Tommy grinned. “I’ve got the day off tomorrow.”
“Then I expect we won’t be seeing the light of day.”
Chapter Sixteen
Tyler slid onto one of the barstools at Pete and Eddie’s counter. “I need your advice, mate.”
Eddie arched an eyebrow at him. “You’re asking me for advice? Holy crap, call the papers.”
“Very funny. Seriously, I need a recommendation for a housekeeper.” He took a deep breath. “I admit it. I cannot do it all.”
Eddie froze before he brayed with laughter. “Okay, I know that had to hurt. Tommy riding your ass about it?”
“Well, I must admit taking care of a two-bedroom condo was much simpler than this house. Don’t get me wrong, I love our home. I adore it. You know I do. But it’s simply too much for me to keep up with properly and focus on my writing with everything going on now.” He looked at his coffee cup. “Thomas insisted I hire someone to help out. He says I’m spending too much time on the house and not enough on my work.”
Eddie shrugged. “You need the help. No shame in that.”
“How do I find someone discreet?”
“You’re not the friggin’ president, Ty. Get real.”
“I don’t want to read about what’s in our fridge on TMZ.com, or see pictures of our bedroom there.”
Eddie scratched his chin. “Let me ask around for you. A friend of mine was telling me they just hired a new girl a few weeks ago, and she’s raving about her. Comes in once a week to do the heavy cleaning, real reasonable. Lost her ass in Katrina and she’s starting over. I’ll get her number for you.”
“You’re a lifesaver, mate.”
“Yeah, remember that our next poker night and fold early, why doncha?”
* * * *
Tyler glanced at his watch. Ten minutes until their appointment. The girl sounded very nice on the phone, and all her references checked out. Very reasona
ble prices, too. When he looked out the dining room window and saw the battered Ford Escort pull into their driveway, his heart sank. That couldn’t be a good sign.
When the young woman stepped out…
His breath caught in his throat. She was neatly dressed in jeans and a pullover shirt that looked like a man’s golf shirt. Not a skinny little twig, but with perfectly sweet rounded curves that looked adorable on her. She’d pulled her auburn hair back into a tidy ponytail, and she carried a folder.
Thomas walked into the kitchen as she rang the doorbell. “That her?”
“Apparently.” He let her in. Her brilliant green eyes immediately caught his attention. Even without makeup she looked beautiful.
She offered a sweet, albeit nervously tentative smile. “Hi, I’m Nevaeh Barton. I’m here about the housekeeper’s job. Are you Mr. Paulson?”
Her voice, sweet and soft, pierced right through him. “Yes. Please, call me Tyler, dear. Come in.”
She walked past him into the hallway and waited for him to lead her deeper into the house. “Thank you, Mist—Tyler. People usually call me Nevvie.”
He offered her a friendly smile. “Nevvie. That’s beautiful. Come in, have a seat.” He led her to the kitchen and introduced her to Tommy. He glanced out of the corner of his eye and noticed his lover was as smitten by her as he was.
They talked for nearly an hour. She was sweet, she was cute, and she obviously had very little self-confidence.
She also had the job. Tyler took the lead and offered her more than double what she had quoted him on the phone. When she tried to refuse the additional money, he shook his head. “No, because we need someone dependable and discreet. I hope the extra cash is enough to take care of any incidentals you might need. If it makes you feel better, we’d love you to work here an entire day, not just half.”
She blushed. “All right. Are Thursdays okay? I don’t have anyone scheduled then.”
“Thursdays would be quite splendid, love. Thank you.”
Both men saw her to the door and watched her drive off. When Tyler turned to Thomas and kissed him, he felt his lover’s hard erection pressing against him.
“She’s quite lovely, isn’t she, Thomas?”
He blushed. “Yeah.” He quickly met Tyler’s gaze. “I mean, yeah, she is, but—”
Tyler silenced him with another deep, soulful kiss. “Never worry, love. I know exactly what you mean.” He smiled as he reached up and stroked Tommy’s hair. “I think she will be a welcomed addition around our home, don’t you?”
Tommy nodded.
Tyler smiled, a plan taking shape in his mind. There was something about her, so sweet, so kind.
So submissive.
Could it be possible? The best of both worlds? When he’d decided to spend the rest of his life with Tommy more than a decade earlier, he’d known he was turning his back on part of his life, part of his psyche. The trade-off had been well worth it, though, to meet the needs within him that took precedence. To be taken care of by someone and to have someone who appreciated his efforts to serve them. He’d never admitted that to Tommy, and never would. Their natural relationship dynamic took care of that craving, allowing the truths to lie dormant. Tommy never needed to know the details of that brief interlude in his life.
But perhaps…
Tyler laced his fingers through Tommy’s and led him to their bedroom. “Let’s go have a little fun, love. I know I’m certainly in the mood.”
“You’re not upset?”
Tyler turned, surprised. “Why would I be?”
He blushed again, but didn’t respond.
Tyler pressed against him and waited for his lover’s brown eyes to settle on his. “We’re human. We’re men. And while we love each other, women aren’t exactly repulsive to either of us. I think we can have quite a few interesting fantasies involving her, can we not?”
Tommy smiled and backed him against the wall. “Damn straight, sugar,” he growled as he slanted his lips over Tyler’s in a heated, possessive kiss. He lifted his head. “As long as you’re okay with that.”
“Oh, I’m quite all right with that, love. Quite all right.” He brushed his fingers down the front of Tommy’s shorts. The man groaned. “Now why don’t you let me take care of that for you, and then you can take care of me?”
Tyler’s mind briefly flashed back to Marcus.
Perhaps he had learned some valuable lessons from the arsehole after all. Lessons he could lovingly apply in this case.
Tyler planned.
* * * *
Tyler busied himself in the kitchen, laying out breakfast. Nevvie would arrive soon. He wanted to make sure she was well fed before she started working. Tommy walked into the kitchen, fully dressed, and leaned in to kiss Tyler good-bye.
Tommy hated missing Thursdays with Nevvie. “I’ll be back after lunch. I couldn’t meet with this client any other day.” He winked. “Give Nev a hug for me.”
“Of course, love.”
Nevvie showed up twenty minutes later, the loud sound of the car announcing her arrival before she ever opened the door. “Ty?”
“In here, love.”
He didn’t turn immediately, but when he did, he forced himself not to swear out loud.
Bloody hell!
She looked horrible, deep circles under her eyes, which looked red and puffy from crying. Despite the warm day, she wore an unbuttoned, long-sleeved shirt over her usual short-sleeved shirt.
She wouldn’t meet his gaze as she set her purse on the table.
“Love, what’s wrong?” he softly asked. He had a good idea what was wrong.
Nevvie still wouldn’t look at him. “Nothing. Just a bad morning.” Her voice sounded wrong, subdued. She pasted on a false smile that didn’t fool him in the least. “My boyfriend and I got into it last night, that’s all. No big. Ooh, are those raisin bagels?”
He knew he wouldn’t get the answer out of her right then. That wasn’t the truth, maybe a portion of it, but not the entirety. Later that morning, as she came in from sweeping the patio, he noticed how red-faced she looked from the heat.
“Love, why don’t you take off that shirt?”
She reddened deeper, this time blushing with embarrassment. “No, I’m okay, really.”
He crossed his arms and stared at her. He took a firm tone that he’d never used with her before. “Nevvie, darling. I shall be very cross if you pass out from heatstroke.” He softened his voice. “Please?”
Looking away, she finally slipped the long-sleeved shirt off and hung it on the back of a chair. Then she immediately headed for the utility room but not before he saw what she’d tried to hide—the huge, ugly, purple bruise on her lower left arm, above the wrist, in the shape of a man’s hand, each finger clearly visible.
Tyler didn’t pursue her even though he felt his heart hit the floor. He’d suspected she didn’t have the best of relationships with her boyfriend, but the fact that the man had put his hands on her…It brought back memories of Maggie’s ordeal.
It fully triggered his protective instincts, his inner dominant wanting to go pay the man a visit and beat the bloody hell out of him.
It also cemented what he’d long felt—he was in love with her. Barely three months since meeting her, but he knew without a doubt. He’d caught Tommy staring at her a few times, knew his lover was as fond of her as he was.
The very first day they’d met her, an idea had formed in Tyler’s mind. One he slowly chipped away at, setting events into motion that could easily lead to that end. Tyler knew it could work from his own past experiences. Tommy would be just as eager to protect her, although his traditional Southern boy would need some gentle persuasion to be convinced Tyler was all right with it.
When Nevvie walked into the kitchen a little before lunch, Tyler cornered her. It was time to let his long-closeted self out to play. “Love, you didn’t give me my morning hug.”
A nervous smile caressed her lips. She let him gently envelop her in
his arms, eventually relaxing against him. “There’s my good girl,” he softly cooed. “Now, isn’t that better?”
Neither he nor Thomas had done anything to correct her mistaken belief that they were gay. Now it was even more imperative she keep believing it. They were a safe haven for her, friendly security she could count on. Tyler wouldn’t have it any other way unless it was to slowly seduce her into their bed on a permanent basis.
Something he hoped he could bring about sooner rather than later after seeing that bruise.
“Yes,” she mumbled against his chest, roughly sighing.
He decided to push a little, to see how much she’d tolerate. “You’re such a sweet girl, to take care of us so well. One of these days, I’m likely to not let you leave. Keep my sweet girl here with us forever.”
She laughed a little, but she relaxed even more in his arms.
His heart raced, thrilled. He knew with utter certainty, if given enough time, he could totally win her over. Now he only had to win Tommy over to his plan. Tyler gently patted her back as he inhaled the scent of her shampoo. Coconut, he suspected a discount brand, probably all she could afford. Still a sweet scent that was perfectly her.
If he had his way, he’d spoil her rotten, buy her any and everything she could ever want or need.
“Love,” he said, “you can always talk to me, or Thomas, if you need an ear. Please. We consider you family, you know. Even after such a short time, we feel you belong here with us, part of us. You are our girl. And you’re my sweet angel.”
He heard her soft sniffle as she stepped back and turned away. “Thanks, Ty. I really have fun working for you guys.”
Blast. He wanted more from her, a tangible sign of what he sensed she felt and never thought she could acknowledge. It would take a lot of careful planning on his part.
* * * *
By the time Tommy arrived home for lunch, Nevvie took a break and had donned the shirt again. She was stretched over the kitchen sink, cleaning the window, when Tommy walked into the kitchen. He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.